问题 阅读理解

简答题。

     阅读下面短文,根据第1-3小题的具体要求,简要回答问题。

     A barn is where farmers keep animals and equipment. Over time as fewer and fewer people worked

on the land, more and more barns were torn down to make way for developers. Others that remained

might have fallen into poor condition. Or perhaps they just no longer satisfy the needs of modern farmers. Keeping an old barn in good condition might not be seen as worth the cost if it doesn't serve much

purpose. But Americans with historic barns are being urged to save them. The magazine Successful

Farming and the National Trust for Historic Preservation are working together on a program called

Barn Again! The National Trust is a non-profit organization that works to provide protection for places

of historic importance in America.

     The Barn Again program advises hundreds of barn owners every year. Awards are given for the

projects that best succeed in restoring a barn for continued farm use. Winning buildings are used to

demonstrate methods of preservation.

     The organization suggests how problems with things like stone and concrete block foundations can be

fixed. With many old barns, the foundation they are built on is falling apart. Barn Again also offers advice

for other repairs, like how to replace siding and how to use a power washer to remove loose paint. And

farmers are given suggestions about how to calculate costs.

     Leo Fitzpatrick of Beaverton, Michigan won the 2004 Barn Again Award. He made one

improvement at a time. The work took more than nine years. He did it himself, even though for a while he

held another job in addition to farming. He says it cost him fourteen thousand dollars, much less than a

new barn of similar size. The improvements include strengthening the barn. There are no structural

supports inside the building; instead, its sizes hold it up.  

1. Why were barns torn down? (回答词数不超过6个)

2. What does Barn Again program do? (回答词数不超过8个)

3. What is the best title for the passage? (回答词数不超过6个)

答案

1. To make way for developers.  

2. Offer /Give advice and awards on improving old barns.

3. Saving /Protecting/Improving Historic Barns./Barn again.

阅读理解

阅读理解。

     SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND-A British teaching union famous for strange ideas has supported proposal to

employ dogs as classroom assistants.

      At the annual conference of the Professional Association of teachers in Southport, northwest of England,

one person suggested properly trained dogs be able to keep order in primary schools. They can round up lost

children and protect those who experience unfortunate"accidents". Wendy Dyble, a Sheetland Islands woman

who teaches children up to age seven, made it clear to her fellow friends that she was not "barking mad". They

obviously believed her, supporting her idea by 16 votes to 13, with a total of 63 abstentions. 

     He said big dogs could help round up children, keep them in line, lick up the milk they spill on the floor and

provide the extra eyes that a teacher needs to keep order."A big dog would also be helpful for breaking up

fights and look for lost property, like gym shoes or dolls," Dyble said at the conference."The dog will also be

useful in sniffing out smells that children do not own up to," she added. "It would be nice for the teacher not to

have to go round sniffing each child to find the culprit."

     The idea was greeted by the Dog Defense League but less so by bigger teaching unions. A spokesman for

Education Secretary David Blunkett, who is blind, said his guide dog was always popular with pupils when he

visited schools. The Professional Association of Teachers, with around 35,000 members, is the smallest

teaching union in Britain. It has an honour for occasional strange ideas.

     Earlier this week, its annual conference here suggested stopping exams because they lead to stress and

introducing selection at the age of 12 based on physical coordination and manual skill in the use of hand.

1. According to the writer's opinion, to employ dogs as classroom assistants _____.

A. is a wonderful idea

B. can improve the relation between children and animals

C. is beyond ordinary people's minds

D. can make some teachers lose jobs

2. What Dyble said at the conference _____.

A. gained some support from the members

B. frightened everyone at the conference

C. interested everyone at the conference

D. caused some trouble to trained dogs

3. A spokesman for Education Secretary _____.

A. once used a dog as classroom assistant

B. sang high praise for Dyble's idea

C. would employ dogs as teachers

D. benefited from dogs more than others

4. The last paragraph of this passage _____.

A. has nothing to do with the topic of this passage

B. shows there are too many exams in British school

C. provides further facts about the teaching union

D. shows the writer's anger to the union

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